30 October 1940

BRITAIN was struggling through a different kind of lockdown 80 years ago this week, with German bombs rather than a virus keeping everyone indoors at night. On the cover of AP’s ‘Special Indoor Number’ Ilford plugged the low-light capabilities of its Selo H.P2 lm, and its Selo Lighting Set (essentially a at-pack lamp and re ector dish). ‘Home photography now has a greater attraction than ever before,’ said Editor, FJ Mortimer, in his leader. ‘In the pages of this issue many suggestions will be found that may inspire the reader to fresh efforts in the production of this kind of pictorial work.’ These included a feature on action portraits in the home to send as Christmas cards. ‘Ordinary daylight, facing a window, provides almost ideal soft general lighting,’ wrote the author Ronald Procter. ‘It is at, however, and insuf cient in intensity to be used alone for quick exposures.’ Further on David Charles created table-top scenes using children’s toys. ‘The queer gures composed of wooden beads that at rst sight appear to be capable of in nite movement are peculiarly suited to our purpose,’ he recommended. Ads for enlargers and projectors proliferated. A motordriven Hunter projector could be yours for £370 in today’s money, or a Gnome enlarger, with lens, for £520. If you were after a camera, Westminster Photographic Exchange’s second-hand deals included a Contax II (£3,250), a Zeiss Super Ikonta (£1,950) or, for more modest budgets, a Voigtländer Bessa (£353).